Lead vocalist Bono wrote the lyrics in response to the notion that it is possible to identify a person's religion and income based on the street on which they lived, particularly in Belfast.
During the band's difficulties recording the song, producer Brian Eno considered erasing the song's tapes to have them start from scratch.
The song was performed on a Los Angeles rooftop for the filming of its music video, which won a Grammy Award for Best Performance Music Video.
The band's performance on a rooftop in a public place was a reference to The Beatles' final concert, as depicted in the film Let It Be.
The song peaked at number thirteen in the US, number fourteen in Canada, number ten in the Netherlands, and number four in the United Kingdom.